3.

A Leper, a Paralytic and a Tax Collector

Mark 1:40-2:17

"Unclean! Unclean!" the man shouted, and everyone scattered to avoid contact with the
leper—everyone except Jesus.
The religious wisdom of the day demanded that a holy man keep away from the common
people, the "sinners." So Jesus was bound to encounter resistance as he openly welcomed
them. This passage focuses on Christ's compassion toward those we normally avoid.

1. What type of person in our society would you feel most uncomfortable associating with?
Explain why.

2. Read Mark 1:40-2:17. Notice how the pace slows down, and see if you can spot the main
cause of the resistance Jesus faces.

3. Leviticus 13:45-46 states that a leper "must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt,
cover the lower part of his face and cry out, 'Unclean! Unclean!' As long as he has the
infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp." How then
would this disease have affected the man psychologically, religiously and socially?

4. What risks did the leper take in coming to Jesus (Mark 1:40-45)?

What risks did Jesus take in responding to him as he did?

5. How does Jesus respond to the man's total need?

6. Imagine that you are the paralytic being lowered before Jesus (Mark 2:1-12). How do you
feel, especially when Jesus announces, "Son, your sins are forgiven"?

How do you feel after you have been healed?

7. In what ways does Jesus' healing of the paralytic answer the questions raised in the minds
of the teachers of the law?

8. The paralytic's friends provide a model of caring. What are some practical ways we can
follow their example?

- sa fim disponibili pentru a ne ocupa de oamenii care au nevoie de Isus

- Sa ajuți chiar când persoana in cauza nu poate veni singur la Isus

9. Contrast the Pharisees' attitude toward tax collectors and "sinners" with that of Jesus.

10. In his reply to the Pharisees' complaint, Jesus specifically likens himself to a doctor. How
has he acted as a doctor throughout this passage?

11. How is sin like illness, especially leprosy and paralysis?

12. Jesus came announcing the kingdom and calling people to follow him. What change
would need to take place in these Pharisees before they could answer Jesus' call?
13. Who do you consider to be some of the "unlovely" or "unreachable" for God's kingdom?

What steps can you take to bring your thinking and actions toward them into line with those
of Jesus?

PRINCIPII APLICATIVE

1. Ai nevoie să recunoști că ești păcătos și Dumnezeu îngăduie uneori să ajungi la fundul

gropii, pentru a recunoaște că ai nevoie de Dumnezeu.
2. Dumnezeu ne cheamă să ieșim din confortul nostru și să mergem să îi căutăm pe cei
ce au nevoie de Isus.
3. Vom constata că ușa se deschide mult mai ușor după ce am făcut ceva pentru un om.
Când facem ceva pentru a îl ajuta pe cineva, nu trebuie să ne oprim acolo, ci să
folosim momentul și să îi spunem despre Domnul.
4. Iertarea, sau împăcarea cu Dumnezeu este nevoia noastră cea mai mare. Dumnezeu
dorește să împace
5. Să fim disponibili pentru a ne ocupa de oamenii care au nevoie de Isus.
6. Sa ajuți chiar când persoana în cauza nu poate veni singur la Isus
7. Domnul poate să ne răspundă diferit cererilor noastre, și ne dă ceea ce avem nevoie,
nu neapărat ce i-am cerut.
4. Conflict in Galilee
Mark 2:18-3:35

"A truly religious person wouldn't do such a thing!"

"Religion is fine, but you're becoming a fanatic!"
Such accusations are commonly leveled at Christians. They are difficult to bear under any
circumstances. But when they come from family and friends, the pain is even greater.
In the last study we saw the beginning of opposition to Jesus and his ministry. Now that
opposition gains momentum, from the Pharisees and even Jesus' own family. This passage
looks at some of the pressures and privileges of following Jesus.

1. The Bible promises that every follower of Jesus will eventually face persecution. What
types of opposition have you encountered as a Christian?

2. Read Mark 2:18-3:35. On what grounds are Jesus and his disciples criticized in Mark 2:18-
3:6?

 nu posteau
 lucrau in ziua Sabatului
 Vindecarea in ziua Sabatului
 scotea demonii

3. In Mark 2:19-22, how does Jesus explain his disciples' failure to fast?

4. How are Jesus' and the Pharisees' attitudes toward the Sabbath different?

5. How do Jesus' comments in Mark 2:27-28 rebuke both too rigid and too lax a view of the
Sabbath?

6. What is ironic about the Pharisees' reaction to Jesus' healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6)?

7. The Pharisees objected to what Jesus and his disciples did and failed to do. What objections
might people today have toward what we do or fail to do as Christians?

How can Jesus' responses to opposition be a model for our own responses?

 Oare n-ați citit în Lege...?

 Cum poate Satana să se scoată pe el însuși? – Isus caută

8. While the Pharisees and the Herodians are plotting to kill Jesus, how are the common
people responding to him (Mark 3:7-12)?

9. Explain how Jesus' plans for the twelve apostles (Mark 3:14-15) fit in with his original call
to the four fishermen in Galilee (Mark 1:17).

10. What charge do the teachers of the law bring against Jesus in Mark 3:20-30? How does
Jesus refute it?

 Și-a ieșit din minți!

  Scoate draci cu ajutorul lui Belzebul!
 Are un duh necurat!

11. Mark indicates that Jesus gave the teachers of the law this warning about blaspheming
against the Holy Spirit because they were saying he had an evil or unclean spirit. By charging
Jesus with having an evil spirit, how were they approaching the brink of total and
unforgivable blindness to the truth?

12. Jesus' mother and brothers come for him because they think he is out of his mind (Mark
3:21, 31-32). How do you think this made Jesus feel?

13. When we are opposed or rejected by those who are closest to us, what comfort can we
receive from Jesus' words in Mark 3:33-35?

14. If we learn to see ourselves as part of God's family, rather than merely his slaves or
subjects, how might that transform our attitude toward his commandments?
5. Kingdom Parables
Mark 4:1-34

Some stories wear their points on their sleeves, as it were. Others, to borrow from P. G.
Wodehouse's definition of a parable, keep something up their sleeves "which suddenly pops
up and knocks you flat." Among Jesus' stories we find a variety—from those that are easy to
understand to those that are so difficult they invite our thought and reflection again and again.
The stories in this passage contain vital information about God's kingdom and its subjects—
for those who have ears to hear!

1. Mark Twain once said, "It's not the parts of the Bible I don't understand that bother me, but
the parts I do understand!" How does your attitude compare with his?

2. Read Mark 4:1-34, watching especially for words and phrases that are repeated in Mark
4:1-25. What idea or ideas seem to dominate these verses?

3. Jesus explains the parable of the sower, or the parable of the soils (Mark 4:3-8), in Mark
4:14-20. Put this explanation in your own words, describing from your own experience
examples of each kind of soil-seed combination.

Încearcă să vizualizezi aceste 4 tipuri de inimi

Ex. Lucian Butaciu – a primit cu bucurie Cuvântul, dar

Ce este convertirea adevărată?

- nu ridicarea mâinii, mersul în față, rugăciunea, mersul la biserică reprezintă dovada că ești
convertit, ci roada din viața ta!

4. Mark 4:11-12 has long bothered many readers. The problem is that it looks like Jesus is
saying that he tells parables to keep people from seeking forgiveness. From the context, which
seems more likely—that Mark 4:12 expresses the reason that Jesus speaks in parables or
simply what happens when he does? Explain your answer.

5. To whom does Jesus explain the parable of the soils (Mark 4:10-12)?

What did they do to get an explanation that the others did not?

6. What does a willingness to ask indicate about a willingness to hear?

On what grounds then are people included or excluded from the secret of the kingdom?

7. What is the secret of the kingdom?

8. How does the response Jesus gets from telling the parable of the sower illustrate the point
he is making?

9. What kind of soil are you?

What can you do to become the kind of soil Jesus is looking for?

10. The farmer was not being foolish in sowing the seed where he did. He was following the
standard practice of the day—sowing then plowing. Only as time passed did each kind of soil
reveal itself for what it was. What encouragement does this give you to "sow widely" as you
share the good news of the kingdom with others?

11. How does Mark 4:21-25 help explain Mark 4:11-12?

12. What insights into kingdom growth do the parables of the growing seed and the mustard
seed give us (Mark 4:26-34)?

13. In this passage we see Jesus both spreading the message of the kingdom and teaching
about how the kingdom grows. What lessons can we learn about evangelism both from his
example and from his teaching?
6. Desperate Straits
Mark 4:35-6:6

"Don't be afraid; just believe." These words may ring rather hollow when we, and not
someone else, face a fearful or life-threatening situation. Yet in the face of real danger we
discover just how much faith we have.
In this study we find a number of different people in desperate straits. Their experiences
with Jesus can help us to trust him with the fearful areas of our own lives.

1. Fear can be a very powerful emotion. What kinds of fear keep you from doing some things
you think you should?

2. Read Mark 4:35-5:20. In the first incident the disciples are quite naturally afraid of the
storm and disturbed that Jesus seems not to be concerned about their drowning. Once Jesus
calms the storm, however, they are still terrified. How does their fear after the storm
differ from their previous fears?

3. Who all in the next incident are afraid and why (Mark 5:1-20)?

4. How do these fears compare with those in the previous incident?

5. Many people find it hard to understand why Jesus allowed the demons to destroy the
pigs. It could have been to prevent a violent exit from the man or to show him visibly that
he was now free. Even if we can't pin down exactly why Jesus allowed this, what does the
fate of the pigs show about what the demons were trying to do to the man?

What does this show about the value Jesus places on the man?

6. At the end of this incident Jesus seems to reverse strategy. For the first time he tells
someone to go and tell others about his healing. How is this man different from the others?
(See Mark 1:21-26; Mark 1:40-45; Mark 3:7-12.)

7. Read Mark 5:21-6:6. In Mark 5:21-43 two stories are woven together—that of Jairus's
daughter and the woman with a hemorrhage. What sorts of fears are involved in these two
incidents?

8. The word fear doesn't appear in the account of Jesus' return to his home town, yet a kind of
fear is evident here as well What are the people afraid of?

9. Which of the different kinds of fear that have been described in these incidents might we
label as good fears and which as bad?

10. What are the relationships between fear and faith in each of these incidents?

11. What keeps you from turning your fears into faith?
12. Study two (Mark 1:14-39) emphasized Jesus' authority over a similar array of life's
experiences. What new dimensions of Jesus' authority are shown here?

How can this authority calm your fears and strengthen your faith?

13. Thinking back to the parable of the sower, what kinds of soil can you find in this passage?
7. Understanding
The Loaves
Mark 6:6-52

Burnout is all too common an experience among Christians today. One of its most disastrous
consequences is a hardened heart that keeps us from being refreshed by our Lord. In this
study we see the disciples suffering from burnout and catch a vision of how Jesus can help us
to counteract its effects. The passage we are focusing on is especially rich in Old Testament
allusions. See if you can spot some of these allusions.

1. Do you ever feel that your Bible study is boring, your prayers are pathetic, your ministry is
miserable and your spiritual life is lifeless? Explain.

2. Read Mark 6:6-52. What do Jesus' instructions to the Twelve tell us about the kind of
ministry they were to have (Mark 6:6-13)?

3. What kind of man was Herod (Mark 6:14-29)?

4. In terms of the parable of the sower, what kind of soil was he?

5. This flashback to the execution of John the Baptist interrupts the account of Jesus' sending
out the Twelve to preach and heal. Why do you suppose Mark recounts it here?

6. What differences are there between Jesus' approach to the crowd and that of his disciples
(Mark 6:30-44)?

7. When has tiredness blunted your desire to care for others?

8. Jesus and Herod, the two kings in this passage, both serve banquets. Compare the two.

9. Imagine yourself as one of the disciples in the boat (Mark 6:45-52). How would you
respond to seeing Jesus walking on the water?

10. What should the disciples have understood about the loaves (Mark 6:52)?

11. Mark tells us that the disciples failed to understand the loaves because their hearts were
hardened What all seems to have led to this hardness of heart?
12. Recognizing the contributing factors, what steps can we take to counteract burnout and
hardened hearts?
8. Violating Tradition

Mark 6:53-7:37

All of us are influenced by traditions of one sort or another—even those of us who by

tradition don't put much stock in them! But at what point do traditions lose their value or even
become counterproductive? When do religious practices become a substitute for really
obeying God?
In this study Jesus has some rather harsh words for the Pharisees and the traditions they
choose to observe. See if you can discover the reason for his anger.

1. What religious traditions influence your life? Is that influence good or bad? Explain.

2. Read Mark 6:53-7:37. At the end of Mark 6 we see that as Jesus moves through the
marketplace he goes about healing the sick. What by contrast happens to the Pharisees as they
travel through the marketplace (Mark 7:1-4)?

3. What specific complaints does Jesus raise against the Pharisees' approach to tradition
(Mark 7:6-13)?
4. What sorts of traditions do we observe today that get in the way of really honoring God?

5. How does Jesus' view of becoming "unclean" differ from that of the Pharisees (Mark 7:14-
23)?

6. In what ways do we sometimes emphasize appearance over internal reality?

7. Many of the traditions of the elders were embellishments on the Old Testament ceremonial
law. Thus the observance of the law and the traditions served to distinguish Jews from
Gentiles. How does Jesus' standard of uncleanness cut across the Jew-Gentile distinctions?
8. Jesus responds to the Syrophoenician woman's request with a miniparable about children,
bread and dogs (Mark 7:24-27). What is he actually saying?

9. What evidence is there that the woman has understand Jesus' point (Mark 7:28-30)?

10. The healing of the deaf man takes place in the Decapolis where Jesus has exorcised the
demons from the Gerasene man at the tombs (Mark 5:1-20). How do the events here
demonstrate that man's success in telling about what Jesus had done for him (Mark 7:31-37)?

11. What practical purposes do you think were served by Jesus' putting his fingers into the
deaf man's ears and touching his tongue?
12. Throughout Mark's Gospel physical ailments are seen to have spiritual counterparts. The
deaf man in this account is obviously someone who quite literally has ears but is unable to
hear or speak properly. In this chapter and the previous one, what different people exhibit
symptoms of spiritual deafness?

How does their deafness affect the kinds of things they say?

13. Now, as then, those who are spiritually deaf—whether through hardness of heart or
through substituting traditions for true obedience—can be healed by Jesus. Pray for yourself
and others who need Jesus' healing touch.
9. Who Do You Say I Am?

Mark 8:1-9:1

"Who do you say I am?" The whole Gospel of Mark so far has been supplying evidence for
answering this question. It's a question Jesus asks each of us, and the answer we give
ultimately determines our destiny. But our answer involves more than what we say with our
lips. Our real answer is to be found in the way we live our lives.
C. S. Lewis made famous a set of contemporary alternative responses to Jesus' question—
legend, liar, lunatic or Lord? What is your response?

1. Read Mark 8:1-9:1. Why do you suppose the disciples, having witnessed the feeding of the
5,000, have such a hard time believing Jesus can supply the needs of 4,000 here (Mark 8:1-
13)?

2. When have you acted similarly, not expecting God to work just after he has met a need in
your life?

3. What details in Mark's account stress the adequacy of Jesus' ability to meet the people's
needs?
4. In Mark 8:12 Jesus says he will give no sign to this generation. What do you think he
means in light of the many miraculous signs and healings he has already performed, not to
mention his coming death and resurrection?

5. What is the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod (Mark 8:15)? (For clues, look back to Mark
6:14-29 and Mark 7:1-23.)

6. What do the disciples fail to understand in Mark 8:14-21 and why?

7. What unusual thing happens while Jesus is curing the blind man (Mark 8:22-26)?
8. In response to Jesus' question of who people are saying he is, the disciples tell him John the
Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets (Mark 8:27-30). Why would people think Jesus was any
one of these?

9. What different answers do people today give regarding who Jesus is?

10. Right after Peter acknowledges Jesus to be the Christ, Jesus begins to explain what must
happen to him. Why do you suppose Peter reacts so strongly to what Jesus has said?

11. Why does Jesus respond to Peter so harshly?

12. How is Peter like the blind man in Mark 8:22-26?

13. What does Jesus say it means to acknowledge him as the Christ and to follow him?

14. Is your life characterized more by seeking to lose your life or to save it? Explain.

15. Ask Jesus to help you to see more clearly those areas where you are not yet following
him.

10. Review
Mark 1-8

The truth about Jesus has progressively unfolded in Mark 1-8. With Peter's confession in
Mark 8:29 we reach not only the midpoint but also a key turning point in Mark's Gospel. For
this reason it is especially useful to review some of the key themes developed thus far.

1. What are some of the things Mark has most emphasized about Jesus?

2. What key things have been revealed about his kingdom?

3. Go back through each study so far and retitle it to show how it fits in with the kingdom
theme. For example, study one could be titled "The Coming of the Promised King."
4. How can we make the message of the king and his kingdom a more vital part of our
proclaiming the good news?

5. What have we observed about Jesus as a communicator of the gospel?

6. How can this improve the way we communicate the gospel?

7. Throughout the early chapters of Mark, Jesus seems cautious about revealing his identity
too quickly. Why do you think this is so?

8. In the parable of the sower we first confront the problem of hearing. Jesus talks about the
failure of the path, the rocky soil and the thorn-infested soil to produce fruit. As we move on
we begin to see that even the disciples have difficulty hearing and seeing because their hearts
are hardened. How is this problem—the hardened heart, the blind eyes and the deaf ears—to
be solved?

9. What are some areas where you have begun to see more clearly and to hear with a more
responsive heart?